


Caged in the Moonlight

by CatEyesCaro



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Magnus Bane, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst with a Happy Ending, Conditioning, Eventual Smut, M/M, Omega Alec Lightwood, Past Rape/Non-con, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Supportive Magnus Bane, Werewolf Mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2019-10-08 22:14:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17394659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatEyesCaro/pseuds/CatEyesCaro
Summary: Alec was sent to live with a feral pack when he presented as an omega. Five years later a territorial battle ensues in which Magnus kills the feral alpha.Instead of killing the pack members who survived the fight he extends the courtesy of them joining his pack, including one very frightened and conditioned omega wolf.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My ABO rules:
> 
> Second gender presents at age 13
> 
> Becoming someone's mate is a choice not fated
> 
> Shifting can be full-formed into a wolf or half-formed with claws and fangs but remain as a human
> 
> Werewolves can be born or bitten by an alpha

Chapter 1:

 

Magnus felt his adrenaline kicking in the minute he walked into the living room of the pack house, his heartbeat was no doubt filling the silence in the room. He looked around at all the faces staring back at him and couldn’t help but feel fortunate that he had such a loyal and committed pack.

 

He never could have imagined that he would be the leader of one of the largest and most influential packs in the area.

 

“You all know why I have gathered you all here. The threat of the feral pack living in Brocelind forest is getting worse, and they don’t appear to be moving on anytime soon,” Magnus explains with frustration.

 

“They have killed four humans and seem to be encroaching closer and closer to well-populated areas. The Bane pack has always had a good relationship with the authorities in Idris and I fear that if we don’t step in to do something that things will start to shift.”

 

Luckily many faces in the room nodded in agreement with his concerns. Although he was the Alpha and he knew everyone would follow his command, he always liked to discuss things as a group so that everyone’s opinion could be taken into account.

 

“Are we aiming to kill or to run them out of our territory?” Ragnor asked

 

Ragnor was one of the most practical people Magnus had ever met. They had met as kids and were close as can be. When Magnus presented as an Alpha, he was the first of his betas to pledge loyalty to him.

 

“To be honest to you all, I am not entirely sure, as this pack is very different than ours. They live in their wolf forms more than they do human. They are extremely violent toward others. And even themselves in fact, they have a very specific hierarchy of power that is constantly followed,” Magnus informs the group.

 

Raphael huffs from his seat in the corner, “What a bunch of savages, a fight to the death might not be able to be avoided.”

 

Jace stands from his seat, chest puffed out and ready to fight. “It wouldn’t be fair of us to push this problem out of our backyard and into someone else’s. We should do the right thing in order to protect the humans no matter where they are from.”

 

Magnus smiled in agreement with his beta. Jace, his sister Izzy and their younger brother Max were a welcomed surprise to the pack when they joined after leaving their home about a year ago.

 

The Lightwood pack was unable to produce an alpha heir, therefore Robert Lightwood had made a deal with Magnus to take on his beta children so that they could be a part of a strong pack.

 

Magnus got a bad feeling whenever he was around the other alpha, but he fell in love with his children and they ended up fitting in perfectly with his existing family.

 

“I agree with Jace. It’s not safe to allow these wolves to run around free somewhere else. They’ve killed four innocent people in the last few months, I can only imagine how many more there have been before coming here,” Catarina added.

 

Magnus was so relieved that his pack seemed to understand the severity of the situation. He knew Jace would be on board, he was currently dating a human and would no doubt be willing to fight to ensure her safety.

 

But he was surprised that everyone seemed to understand it too. Killing his own kind was not something Magnus was looking forward too but he knew it had to be done.

 

“Well… if that is all? Magnus asked while scanning the room for further inquiry.

“Then we will leave tonight and intercept them before midnight and get it done.”

 

Before Magnus left to prepare he needed to make one-point crystal clear to his pack members, “Now… I would never command anyone to fight, so this needs to be your own decision. I will support each and every one of you no matter what you decide.”

 

Magnus looked to the littlest member of the group next, “Max, you’ll be staying behind. And I don’t want to hear any argument against it, you are too young to fight.”

 

Magnus knew that he would have trouble with this, he was a thirteen-year-old kid would just wants to prove himself to his new pack members. He had such tenacity that Magnus often admired him for it.

 

“I could still come and just not fight. I could watch everyone’s back in case someone gets double-teamed!” Max argued.

 

“I appreciate your willingness to help your fellow pack members my young beta, but it’s not going to happen. And that’s all I will say on the matter,” Magnus reported in his alpha tone so that he would know to let it go.

 

“Anyone want to stay with him?” Magnus asked the group.

 

Maia stood then, eyes darting towards the carpet, “I’ll stay behind. My heat is coming up soon and it's making me weaker than usual… I really want to be there to make sure everyone is safe but I think it might be better if I stay behind.”

 

Magnus walked over and wrapped her in a big hug. “Don’t you dare feel guilty or nervous about staying. In fact, I am grateful to have someone to stay behind and occupy Max. I’m sure he’s going to be squirming.”

 

Maia’s presence in the pack was so special to Magnus, she was an omega which was fairly rare in these times. Fewer omegas were being born each year and Magnus was proud to have one in his pack. Omegas were often treated poorly in certain packs and Magnus could never understand the logic in it, he found it to be cruel and unnecessary.

 

“Alright well, I will see everyone in a little bit. I’m going to go relax for a bit. I suggest you all do the same, we’re in for a rough night,” Magnus adds as he walks towards his room.

 

He makes it to his door before he feels a hand grab his elbow from behind. “Want some company?” she asks seductively.

 

Magnus sighs, no matter how much time goes by between the two of them she still refuses to let things go. They hadn’t been a couple in years and Magnus has no interest in pursuing anything with her. “No, Camille,” pushing back from her touch.

 

“And this really needs to stop. You are my friend and my beta, but what we had together is done. You are not my mate Camille.”

 

Sure, he knew that he sounded harsh but he could only hope that after the 100thtime of telling her this that she would finally understand.

 

Her eyes narrowed as she turned and walked away without saying anything else. Magnus just hurried and shut the door behind him, he did not have the time to deal with her feelings right now.

 

He had asked her a dozen times if she was still happy in his pack and she always said that she wanted to be here, so he unfortunately was left to deal with her ongoing unwanted advances.

 

Magnus walked over to lay on the bed for a while, hoping he might even fall asleep for a bit before the fighting started in the coming hours.

 

The worse part for him in dealing with Camille, was the constant reminder that he had not yet found a mate. It was very rare to have such a big pack as his without a mate of his own and an heir.

 

He often dreamt of being with someone who he could be completely himself with and cherish with all his heart. But with so much responsibility with such a big pack, he really didn’t have much time to meet anybody.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

The moon was shining brightly high up in the sky, and there was a gentle breeze in the air. The conditions were perfect for their attack, his wolves power would feed nicely off the moonlight and the breeze would serve to mask their scent from the feral pack.

 

“I want everyone to stick together, nobody is to go off on their own and get separated from the pack. Make sure that someone is in your sight at all times,” Magnus instructed at the edge of the forest.

 

The heartbeats of his pack members were as loud as drums to his ears, they were faster than normal but steady as if they were all focused and ready to get started.

 

Ragnor steps forward half transformed, his eyes glowing an orangey-amber. “Raphael and I scouted the pack and we think there are about six wolves total, including the alp-.”

 

Magnus interrupts quickly, “An alpha whom none of you are allowed to engage. I will handle them myself. I’m sorry for interrupting, please continue,” he gestured towards Ragnor.

 

“There is a small chance that they were not all together when we last saw them, so there is the potential that it’s a bigger pack… We were also unable to locate their camp, so the plan is to try and capture at least one wolf so that they may lead us back to the camp. We need to make sure that the threat is eliminated.”

 

Ragnor looked to his alpha when he was done explaining their strategy to the group. “I believe we are ready, Magnus. Shall we get this over with?”

 

Magnus nods as his eyes glowed a deep-dark red, “I love you all, you are the greatest family anyone could ever ask for and I have the up-most confidence in all of you. Stay focused and be safe.”

 

“We will Alpha,” the group muttered in reply.

 

Magnus turned towards the trees and darted forward as fast as he could. His mind entered his predatory place as his eyes swept the forest floor looking for his opponent.

 

 

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

 

 

It didn’t take long to find their target, they could hear the snarls and howls from afar and knew they were close. Magnus gestured for his pack to split in two directions so that the feral pack would need to fight on two fronts.

 

When they finally made contact, Magnus roared loudly to announce his presence hoping that some of the wolves would have the sense to submit instead of fight.

 

They watched as the feral alpha turned his head, he was a large brown wolf, perhaps even larger than Magnus. His teeth were barred as he growled lowly at the situation before him. He barked loudly just once and each and every wolf in the group sprint towards his pack to attack.

 

The sound of bodies colliding was horrible to listen too. Magnus could hear bones breaking and flesh ripping in all directions, he scanned the clearing to see that most of his pack were now fully transformed into wolves themselves.

 

The two alphas circled around each other for a few moments, each sizing up the other. Magnus was surprised to see the alpha shifting before him back to human form.

 

He was a tall, blond man, muscles cut leanly in all directions, his huge cock hung proudly between his legs. “How dare you come here and challenge me. You’ve made a huge mistake,” he shouts as he stalks around Magnus in a circle.

 

Magnus growls back, “You are terrorizing the humans, I won’t let it happen any longer.”

 

The alpha’s eyes narrowed, “Humans are weak and they have no place in this world except to be our prey.”

 

“We are going to have to agree to disagree, I believe,” Magnus stated as he began to shift into his wolf form. Magnus knew that no matter what he said to this alpha it wouldn’t make a difference, they would fight to the death and that would be the end of it.

 

Magnus’s wolf was all black, his long thick fur blew softly in the wind. The two wolves paused for a moment before they sprinted towards each other with all their strength.

 

They tumbled in circles, flipping back and forth for what seemed like hours. Claws and fangs sinking into their coats at a savage rate. Magnus knew he would be in rough shape if he made it out alive, he had never faced someone like this before, he clawed and bit at Magnus like he was the devil himself.

 

Magnus could feel blood oozing from his side, he tried his best to ignore it. He knew if he could inflict just the right wound that it would be over, the alpha would have no choice but to slow down.

 

He targeted the alpha beneath his arm and dug his claws in as deep as he could make them go. He knew he had hit a major artery when the alpha roared as loud as he could but used his strength to push back away from Magnus.

 

Blood was gushing from his injury, his eyes flickered from alpha red to his own brown as his body weakened. It only took about a minute before the alpha was dead before him.

 

Magnus transformed back, he groaned in pain as he laid on the ground clutching his side. He knew it was stupid to use his remaining energy to transform with such a serious injury but he needed to ground himself and become focused again on his pack.

 

They had moved quite a distance away from the group, he could barely hear the growls in the distance. He took a deep breath and stood up as best he could. He needed to see that his pack members were okay so he hobbled as best he could back towards the clearing.

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

“Oh my god, Magnus!” Jace shouted as he noticed his alpha in the corner. He ran over to lift an arm around his shoulder so he could support him.

 

Magnus lifted his head as best he could, “I’ll be okay everyone. Just need some time to heal.”

 

He found himself surrounded by his pack mates trying to help treat his injuries. “Please… I promise I will be okay… Honest, being with all of you is already helping. I can feel myself healing faster.”

 

It took about an hour for the group to get re-oriented. They stashed some extra clothing nearby with some medical supplies. Once everyone was clothed and wounds wrapped they focused their attentions back to getting to the camp.

 

Magnus could hear the trapped wolf snarling in the corner. His pack had him trapped against a large tree with nowhere to go. “Has he calmed down at all yet?”

 

“No, Alpha. He won’t even shift back, I’ve been trying to reason with it for an hour now. I’m starting to think we should just kill it,” Camille grumbled as she narrowed her eyes at the wolf.

 

Magnus approached the wolf slowly and glowed his eyes red causing the wolf to whimper, “Now, now Camille. You know how convincing I can be.”

 

“We don’t want to hurt you, I think enough blood has been spilled tonight. We do however want to see your camp to ensure that the rest of your pack has been dealt with,” Magnus explains.

 

He crouches in front of him in order to get on a more even level. “Catarina tells me that you backed away from her instead of engaging her in a fight. Why don’t you shift so that we can have a real conversation about how to proceed, perhaps there is a way to get through this that doesn’t involve your death.”

 

The wolf’s ears no doubt perked up when Magnus had mentioned he would not be getting slaughter just yet. He quickly transformed back into his human form.

 

He was a plain looking man with long brown hair and definitely looked to be living in the woods for a prolonged period of time. “Please, alpha. Please… don’t kill me. I had only been with this pack for a couple of years. I was still a low ranked beta, I didn’t have any hand in the decisions being made.”

 

Magnus lifted his eyebrows at the new information. “If I let you live and took you in under a trial basis, would you be willing to show us where your camp is?”

 

The man shook his head in agreement, eyes widened to the thought of joining a new pack.

 

“What is your name?”

 

“It’s Rufus, Alpha. Our camp is this way, a couple miles ahead. There is no one else left there, I swear I’m telling you the truth.”

 

Magnus gestured for the group to head in the direction stated, “Well I would like to see that for myself, Rufus, so please join us.”

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

The camp was closer than they thought, there was a large fire pit in the middle of the camp that was still smoldering. There were several tents surrounding the pit of varying sizes where the wolves must have slept.

 

Overall the camp looked fairly normal, but if you looked closely enough it slowly turned into something else, something that made Magnus’s stomach turn sour.

 

In a corner, laid a pile of bones built up as tall as a tree. There was a wooden frame covered in scratch marks that appeared to have ropes attached to it in which someone could be tied up in all different types of positions, and there was a large metal brand glowing red in the fire.

 

“Well this is all sufficiently terrifying,” Magnus stated to the group.

 

“Magnus, I sense another heartbeat,” Catarina added and everyone’s head turned in different directions trying to locate the source. It was faint but definitely another person’s.

 

Magnus walked over to Rufus who was being led by Jace and Camille and pushed his clawed hand against his chest. “I thought you said everyone was gone. How many more are you?” he asked as he dug his claws into his skin.

 

“Ah... please don’t. It’s…it’s… just an omega, a bitch wolf. I promise nobody of importance is left, Alpha,” Rufus groaned.

 

“Excuse me?” Magnus asked, shocked that another person would be described in such a manner.

 

Rufus nodded and let a deep breath out, “I haven’t seen him in a while, he got in trouble sneaking food a couple of weeks ago and the last I saw he was being moved into the alpha’s tent… He um…well I…”

 

His eyes darted back and forth as if he wasn’t sure if he should say anything more. But Magnus intended to gain the full story of what he was dealing with, “And? What else?”

 

“Well… I still heard him for a while, he was whimpering and barking constantly. It was actually really annoying, the alpha would continue punishing him throughout the night when we were trying to sleep and it kept waking me up. But in the last few days, it’s been mostly silent.”

 

Magnus squeezed his eyes shut, he hated the images that were passing through his mind. He could only imagine what this omega had been through and hoped that it wasn’t nearly as bad as he was thinking.

 

“Which tent is he in? Now!” Magnus shouted as he lost his patience with the man cowering before him.

 

“That one, Alpha,” as he pointed to the tent closest to the pile of bones.

 

Magnus immediately moved to head towards the tent when he felt fingers wrap around his arm. “Hold on, Magnus. Let me come with you, I’ll bring the medical supplies,” Catarina suggested.

 

He was instantly relieved that his beta was here with him. He was beginning to panic inside and it was nice to have the support of his friend. She was an amazing healer and always took the best care of everyone.

 

As they got closer to the tent they could sense that the heart was slowly beating, too slow for a werewolf and the poor thing was breathing heavy and fast.

 

“Hello,” Magnus muttered as they entered the tent. He felt stupid announcing himself in such a mundane way but he also didn’t want to startle the wolf either. He was concerned that the heartbeat didn’t seem to react at all to the noise.

 

“He must be unconscious,” Catarina said as she looked around the room for the source.

 

Magnus walked over to the bed first hoping to find the wolf but it was empty. The bed was messy, streaks of dirt and blood filled the frame, along with a mix of unpleasant scents.

 

“Magnus!” Catarina shrieked from the other corner. “He’s over here.”

 

He took a deep breath in trying to prepare him for what he might find. In a small black dog cage laid a severely emaciated white wolf across the bottom. He was curled up into himself as tight as he could be.

 

Omega usually had a very sweet smelling scent, but all that was left here was the scent of pain and fear. The wolf’s coat was matted with blood, there were several injuries that Magnus could see right away and some that must be hidden among the fur.

 

“I think he’s dying Magnus. I can’t seem to arouse him,” Catarina said with tears in her eyes.

 

Magnus kneeled down next to her, “There has to be something we can do.”

 

Catarina grabbed the medical bag and pulled out a bag of IV fluid. “I’m going to try and get a line in him and give him some fluid but there isn’t much I can do here. We need to get him back to the pack house.”

 

Magnus nodded and went to pull the omega into his arms.

 

“No, Magnus!” Catarina shouted.

 

He instantly dropped his hands away.

 

“He is much too weak to move right now.,” she explained.

 

“Wait, you want to leave him in…in this cage?”

 

“Of course not, but right now we don’t have a choice. He won’t make it if we move him.”

 

Magnus tried to remain calm and rational. Catarina was able to get an IV into the wolf and they each took a side of the cage and lifted it up as gently as they could. They walked in tandem as steady as possible as not to rattle the poor omega.

 

As soon as they turned the corner, his pack ran to their sides to help lift the cage.

 

“Holy shit, what happened to him?” Jace asked stunned at what he saw laying in front of him.

 

Magnus sighed and wiped his brow with the back of his hand, “I think the correct question is what didn’t happen to him, Jace.”

 

The sun was beginning to come up over the hill causing Magnus to huff, this had been quite the ordeal. “Come on everyone. We need to get him back to the house as soon as we can for more treatment.”

 

The group not holding the cage moved to run ahead as the rest stayed behind walking as steadily as possible.

 

Izzy had a strange look on her face, “He smells familiar for some reason. But I don’t get it, I’ve never met another omega besides Maia.”

 

“It’s probably just the sweet omega scent, Isabelle. Nothing to worry yourself over,” Ragnor suggested as they kept on towards the house.


	3. Chapter 3

They made it back to the house within an hour, Catarina stopped every 10 minutes to check the omega’s pulse. Magnus had never seen her looking so worried before, he was sure that the wolf was closer to death than she was saying aloud.

 

They entered through the back patio and through the double doors to the living room and carefully put the cage down by the fireplace.

 

“I’ll make a fire, see if we can’t make it any warmer for him,” Magnus suggested. He wanted to do anything he could at this point to try and feel useful, and he didn’t have a clue on how to help Catarina with his medical needs.

 

“That’s perfect Magnus, thank you,” she stated calmly. “Rag, can you go get the other medical bag from the office. It has more supplies in it that I need.”

 

“Of course, I’ll be right back,” Ragnor announced as he was already halfway out the door heading towards their apartment across the street.

 

Magnus stacked the logs as high as they could go in the fire, he couldn’t help himself but glance over to see what Catarina was doing to try and help treat the poor wolf’s injuries.

 

She was shaving off the fur around the more serious wounds and cleaning them as best she could. The wolf whimpered softly as she touched the more aggravated areas.

 

“Well, it looks like the IV fluid is helping, he is at least responding to pain at the moment,” Catarina shrugged.

 

“What do you think happened to him?” Izzy asked from her spot on the couch. Many of the wolves had stayed behind to see if he was going to make it through, they were all camped out on various spots in the living room.

 

Magnus had instructed Camille to settle Rufus into one of the guest rooms and get him clothes and shower and to watch over him closely. Magnus was still very unsure of the beta wolf he had allowed to live.

 

Magnus wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that ignorance was the reason for everything he was saying back at the feral camp, but it didn’t mean that he had to trust him yet.

 

“There are puncture wounds throughout his whole coat, looks as if it was made by some kind of prod or sharp stick… it um…” Catarina tried as best she could to explain.

 

“I dare to say that the object was potentially pushed through the holes of the cage and inflicted while the omega was trapped in its confines.”

 

“Oh my god, that’s so awful, I wish I didn’t ask,” Izzy said with tears in her eyes.

 

“And on top of that he was definitely starved, his coat is dry and falling out all over the place, his gums are white and I can feel every bone through his skin… I… I just wish…” Catarina mumbled as she started to cry.

 

Magnus stood immediately and walked over to his dear friend and embraced her in a hug. “You are doing everything that you can for him, he is in a better place now and he is lucky to have you watching out for him.”

 

“Thank you, alpha. I just…I wish we would have intervened sooner. I know there was no way to know that this was happening to someone but I just wish we could have done more,” she explained through her sniffles.

 

Ragnor came back in with the bag a few minutes later. Catarina frantically drew up multiple vials of medicine and began injecting them one by one into the wolf.

 

“What is all that?” Jace asked.

 

“Blood pressure stabilizers, antibiotics, vitamins, pain medicine… it’s going to take a while to stabilize him but he’s strong, I can already tell that he is fighting to survive.”

 

Magnus let out a deep breath at that news. He wasn’t sure why but he was really hoping that the omega would recover. Magnus wanted to show him what a pack could really be like, he felt the wolf deserved a family as good as his.

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

Isabelle’s POV

 

 

The omega had been in their pack house for two days now and his scent was slowing morphing back to normal. At first, it was muddled with so much fear and anxiety that she couldn’t get a good read on it.

 

The more the wolf healed, the more familiar the scent was becoming. It was a scent that made her stomach drop, she used to know it so well and was heartbroken when she learned she would never smell it again. 

 

“Isabelle, darling… are you okay?” Magnus asked with a deep frown. She knew she’d been more quiet than usual the past few days, but she was not ready to reveal her suspicions to anyone just yet.

 

In one way, keeping the secret was like self-preservation. Bring up old memories would be painful and if she was wrong, it would be even more painful that she ever had hope that someone she thought was forever lost was suddenly back in her life.

 

“I…um… I want to explain to you why I’ve been so preoccupied, but there is one more thing I need to see about before I can be sure,” she explained cryptically.

 

Izzy walked up the stairs and down the hall to her brother’s room, “Max? Max? Can you come out here please, I need to show you something.”

 

The group had decided to keep Max away from the living room while the omega was healing. It was not a pretty site and Izzy had discussed it with Magnus and decided that he didn’t need to be exposed to something like that.

 

But she knew that the circumstances were now changed, Izzy needed to see if she was right, she had to know.

 

Max came out curiously, “Am I finally going to get to see what you guys are all keeping secret from me. I’m not a little kid anymore you know.”

 

“Don’t try and grow up to quickly Max, you’ll regret it in the end. Now come downstairs, your sister apparently needs you for something important,” Magnus asked.

 

Izzy could barely breath when they got to the end of the stairs. The second Max’s eyes spotted the wolf in the corner, she knew it was true.

 

Max lurched forward and onto his knees in front of the wolf. “It’s Alec! Izzy, look its Alec!” He shouted.

 

Izzy instantly lost her footing and ended up landing on the bottom step trying her best to stop herself from hyperventilating.

 

And at the same time, Max had finally realized the state that his older brother was in. “Wait…wait… what happened to him? Did this happen to him during the fight? Did we do this?” he asked softly reaching out to touch his brother’s paw.

 

Izzy looked up to see Magnus crouched in front of her, “Isabelle, who is he?” is all he could muster to ask.

 

“He’s…he’s our brother. Our parents told us he died, they said he was attacked by a rogue wolf during a pack dispute.”

 

Jace stepped forward out of the kitchen after hearing the commotion, “Wait a minute, your brother who died before your family adopted me?” he asked.

 

Izzy hadn’t meant for Jace to find out this way. When her parents adopted Jace, they had told Izzy and Max it was to honor their brother’s life. They said it would help to fill the void from Alec’s passing, but now she didn’t know what to believe.

 

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Jace exclaimed as he stumbled over to the couch to sit down.

 

“You know what this means right… Maryse and Robert probably abandoned him when he presented as an omega and replaced him with me. It’s all been a lie… I feel like…like I stole his life, I was all too happy to take on the role of big brother.”

 

Izzy knew it wasn’t fair for either of them, it wasn’t fair for Jace to have to feel guilty about something he didn’t even realize he was a part of.

 

“Jace, you are family to us all. We don’t know what happened yet so we shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Ragnor tried to reason with him.

 

Izzy felt lost, she didn’t know what to feel. On one hand, she was overjoyed to be reunited with a brother and on the other, she was wrought with anger over the treatment of him and the circumstances of why he was with the feral pack in the first place.

 

Magnus’s eyes changed to their dark-alpha red without him probably even knowing it. Izzy watched as he began to pace back and forth in the living as to alleviate some of his anger.

 

“Well, we’re damn well going to find out the truth. Isabelle, I want your father and mother here by the end of the week, if they disagree then I will go to them… If those bastards actually abandoned their son…I’m going to fucking…” Magnus was now shouting.

 

“Quiet!” Catarina interrupted suddenly. “He is waking up.”

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

Back to Magnus’ POV

 

 

 

 

Everyone in the room stilled as the omega began to stir. Magnus tried his best to calm himself after he realized he was allowing his anger to get the best of him.

 

The beautiful blue eyes of an omega was the first thing Magnus noticed. Although he unfortunately, had only a second to appreciate them before all hell broke loose.  

 

The wolf jolted up and pushed himself against the back of the cage as he barred his teeth and growled at the room full of wolves. He was clearly terrified at his new surrounds as fear radiated strongly from him.

 

He attempted to sprint from the cage, but was deterred from Catarina’s quick reflexes as she slams it shut. “I am so sorry…it’s just…it’s just that you are going to hurt yourself more if you keep fighting. Please try and calm down, your stitches are going to come undone,” she pleaded.

 

The closure of the cage door only seemed to make it worse as the wolf thrashed around like an animal caught in a trap. “Someone go get Rufus! Maybe a familiar face will do him some good,” Magnus suggested.

 

Magnus was shocked at the amount of fight in the omega, he honestly would have thought the wolf would have passed out by now.

 

Rufus rushed into the room and towards the cage. “Stop now and be still!” He shouted forcefully.

 

The omega immediately ceased his actions and laid down on the floor of the cage.

 

“Alpha Magnus is our new pack leader, these are our pack mates, you will show them respect, Omega,” Rufus continued. “Now submit and show your allegiance.”

 

Magnus moved to interject, “That won’t be necessa…”

 

But he didn’t even have time protest before the wolf was bowing his head as low as it could go in the cage with a frightened look in his eyes.

 

“His name is Alec, asshole and you don’t need to yell at him,” Izzy said as she moved to put her body in between his and her brothers.

 

Now that Alec appeared calmer, Magnus was going to try and do his best to give him a good first impression.

 

“Alec? Why don’t you come out and we can talk about some things? If you’d like to shift, we can get you some clothes,” he offered.

 

“I’m on it,” Jace said as he dashed up the stairs to find some clothes.

 

The wolf turned his head as if he was confused by what Magnus was asking. He wasn’t sure why, but Alec’s scent was getting more anxious by his words.

 

“Well, do you want to come out and shift?” he asked again in the softest voice he could make.

 

The wolf again just sat there as if he was waiting for something.

 

“Alec, come on! Please, you have to remember me. Please come out of there,” Izzy begged.

 

“Don’t push him, Iz!” Max said as he ran towards the cage.

 

Magnus was surprised when the wolf showed even the smallest sign of recognition, as he looked at Max with a loving but sad expression.

 

Max’s hands undid the lock and the cage door opened, “Hi Alec, I missed you so much. Do you want to come out?... Or I mean you could stay in too if that’s what you want,” Max offered to try and be helpful.

 

But even Max couldn’t make a difference in the wolf’s actions, as he laid in the cage unmoving.

 

Magnus huffed, “Well aren’t we off to a good start, we can’t even get him to step one foot out of the prison he’s been in for who knows how long!”

 

“Pardon me, Alpha… but you only need to command it,” Rufus said with what Magnus could only call an obvious expression on his face.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“He has submitted and accepted you as his alpha, he’ll follow the chain of command. He is very obedient, he knows what punishments await him if he doesn’t listen,” Rufus explained.

 

Magnus stalked forward as his patience began to wavered with the beta, “That is not how this pack works, Rufus. Do you understand me?”

 

“Yes, alpha,” Rufus conceded as he bowed his head and ran back up the stairs.

 

Magnus moved to the couch and rubbed a hand over his forehead in frustration. “Anyone have any ideas?”

 

Raphael had entered the living room to lend a hand after hearing the omega thrashing around in the cage, “Maybe… maybe you should just command him, Magnus…I’m not saying it’s the best idea, I’m just saying that it’s something we can do now to at least get him out of the cage.”

 

The betas in the room nodded in agreement. “Yea, Magnus… I mean we don’t really have another way right now,” Izzy added.

 

Magnus really didn’t want to do this but he knew his betas were right, they didn’t really have another option at the moment.

 

Magnus stood and walked towards the cage, “Alec, come out of there now and sit on the carpet.”

 

The immediacy of the omega’s action had stunned him, Alec had been up and out and sitting in front of him as quickly as he could possibly do it.

 

Magnus took a deep breath but continued, “I want you to shift.”

 

The omega transformed but remained crouched down with his head bowed.

 

Jace moved towards them with the clothes, “Uh…here you go… I tried to pick something out that would fit…I uh… didn’t expect you to be this tall.”

 

The clothes were dropped in front of Alec but he didn’t move to start getting dressed. Magnus realized that this was going to be harder than any of them knew, Alec was used to everything he did as being an order.

 

“Please put on the clothes, Alec,” Magnus gestured with his hand towards them on the ground.

 

“… And then if you’d please stand,” he added.

 

The omega appeared shocked at the offer of clothing but put them on as best he could. His face grimaced as he put his arms over his head to put the shirt on as his wounds stretched. Magnus couldn’t help but frown at seeing how skinny he looked in human form. He stood slowly with his eyes still down toward the ground.

 

“My god, you’re tall!” Magnus exclaimed, he wasn’t expecting the omega to be even taller than he was.  

 

His outburst seemed to frighten the omega, he immediately went down to his knees in front of Magnus, “I…I’m sorry, Alpha. I can kneel in your presence so that I am not so tall.”

 

“Oh…oh my…no. That’s not what I meant, Alec. Please stand,” Magnus explained quickly. He had to try and remember to be cautious about what he says in front of him from now on.

 

“Alec? Do you know who this is?” Magnus asked as he pointed to Izzy and Max in the corner.

 

“Yes, alpha. Its Isabelle and Max Lightwood,” He said with tears in his eyes.

 

“Yes, but do you know who they are to you?” he asked cautiously.

 

“Well…um… they used to be my brother and sister, Alpha,” Alec reported looking as if he was about to cry.

 

Izzy stormed forward, “Used to? What do you mean used to?”

 

Magnus knew she was just upset about the whole situation but he really didn’t want things to get out of hand, so he stepped in and tried to stop her “Izzy, please!”

 

“No, Magnus. I will not!”

 

Alec seemed to really panic at this point as he rushed back onto his knees. “Oh please, Alpha…please. She didn’t mean to speak out of turn…please…let me take her punishment for her.”

 

Magnus stepped back and closed his eyes. He was trying his best to keep it together, but the more he learned about this omegas existence the more it saddened him. Nobody should ever have to live like this, in fear of always being hurt for doing anything out of turn.

 

“I’m not going to hurt, Isabelle… I promise… or you, Alec… you’ve done nothing wrong,” he said in a soft voice.

 

Alec’s eyes widened, “Thank…thank you, Alpha. Please let me do something to make it up to you?”

 

Magnus reached forward to lift him up to stand, “How about I just show you to your room so you can get settled in?”

 

Magnus shooed his pack away from the room. Having everyone hovering around Alec wasn’t really helping with his anxiety so he was hoping that Alec would feel more comfortable in his own space. He gestured to the stairs and Alec nodded and headed towards them.

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Alec’s POV

 

 

 

Alec wasn’t sure where they were going, but he moved as quickly as he could up the stairs as the alpha had instructed.

 

He still wasn’t sure how things would be for him in this new pack, but he couldn’t help but feel like the new alpha had freed him.

 

Alec knew he was close to death when he was back at the feral camp, the longer he was kept without food the harder it was for him to keep his eyes open.

 

He knew his current situation had to be at least a little better than the constant pain and torture he suffered under his old alpha and he was going to do his best to be a good and obedient pack mate.

 

In the feral pack, he was always known to be the problem child, he had fought so hard in the beginning to keep his identity that the feral alpha never trusted him.

 

It had taken months for Alec to finally flip the switch inside of him that led him to be like he is now. Now, he was simply an omega who would serve his alpha and pack as best he could.

 

Alec had of course recognized his siblings, but it was almost as if his mind wouldn’t let him accept any part of the old Alec. He needed to remain level-headed about seeing them, his loyalty needed to be to his new alpha.  

 

“So…Alec, you’ll be the third door on the left. Everyone in the pack has their own room, but only some of them live here full time.”

 

The alpha gestured to the last door in the hall, “My door is there if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to knock,” Magnus explained as he opened the door.

 

Alec wasn’t sure what the alpha had meant by it being ‘his’ room but he entered it anyway. Perhaps, the alpha preferred his omegas to have their own space so that their scents didn’t cross over in his own.

 

Alec had never been in a pack with another omega before, and he wasn’t exactly sure how that worked. He could only assume that the alpha had wanted him so that he could have a male and a female omega tending to his needs.

 

Alec stood in the middle of the room awaiting the alpha’s command. He would never presume to be allowed on the bed until he was told to do so.

 

“Do you like the room, Alec?”

 

The question snapped him out of his overwhelmed thoughts, “Oh yes, alpha. Thank you.”

 

He watched as the alpha rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Well…okay then… I’ll just let you be.”

 

He walked towards the door before quickly turning, “Oh… and you can shower and then sleep. You need to rest in order to keep healing. I’ll see you in the morning,” he added before closing the door behind him.

 

Alec stood completely still for another hour, he kept thinking that maybe this was a test and that the alpha would be back at any moment to have his way with him, but he never came.

 

He figured he could at least obey his command for now and take a shower. Perhaps, he was waiting for him to shower and clean himself before he came back in.

 

The warm water felt amazing on Alec’s skin. The closest he ever got to showering was when he would sneak off and dip himself into the cold waters of the river when he got the chance.

 

It was nice to have soap and shampoo for once, even though he knew this was probably just a one-time thing. Once the alpha’s scent was on him, he probably wouldn’t be allowed to shower.

 

He didn’t realize how hard he was scrubbing his skin until he noticed that the cloth he was using was smeared with bright red blood. He looked down at his abdomen and saw that a large wound had re-opened. The threads of his stitches were popped open on either side of his skin.

 

He tried his best to stop the bleeding before he got out of the shower, he was so nervous to get blood on anything in the bathroom, so he wadded up some toilet paper and stuck it to the wound as best he could.

 

When he walked out of the bathroom, he was surprised that the bedroom was still empty. All he could do now was as the alpha had instructed, so he transformed back into his wolf form and curled up on the wooden floor.

 

He looked up at the bed for a second and let himself yearn for the comfort of it before he tried to forget it was there altogether. He did his best to fall asleep but was so uncertain of the unknown that his mind was going a mile a minute.

 

His eyes were finally getting heavy enough where he might be able to fall asleep when he heard the door to his room open and close. His breathe quickened as soon as he caught the person’s scent.

 

It was the scent of someone who had caused Alec a lot of pain of the years.

 

“I think you know why I am here omega,” Rufus growled as he paced back and forth.

 

Alec was scared, nothing good ever came from Rufus being alone in a room with him. He looked towards the door but knew there was no way out so he backed up towards the corner of the room.

 

The beta wolf smirked, “I don’t know where the fuck you think you’re going. I want you to shift, now!”

 

He immediately transformed back to his human-form hoping that his quick actions would help lessen the beta’s anger towards him. Alec wasn’t sure what he did wrong but he could tell it was something big from the look in his eyes.

 

Rufus stepped forward, pinning Alec to the wall. His hand raised up to Alec’s neck with a clawed hand wrapped around it.

 

“I want you to listen to me very clearly. You will not under any circumstances tell anyone in this pack about me,” Rufus explained.

 

The man tightened his grip on Alec’s neck, “If the alpha finds out that I was second in command to the feral pack then I am dead.”

 

Alec knew that he would be dead in seconds if Rufus was to rip out his throat. But his instincts to not keeping anything from his alpha was too stronger to disobey.

 

He tried his best to open his mouth to answer but found that his voice was stifled from the pressure of the wolf’s hand. “I…I… please… Rufus… I… if the alpha asks me… I… I can’t not answer.”

 

Alec was surprised when the beta loosened his grip around Alec’s throat. His head dropped down as if he was contemplating his next move. Before Alec could think about what to do next he felt a sharp pain radiating through his abdomen.

 

He looked down to see that Rufus had stuck his sharp claws deep into the wound on Alec’s stomach. His breath hitched when he felt them go deeper and deeper. “Please…please…stop,” he begged with a weak voice.

 

But the man didn’t stop as his claws made a sawing motion back and forth. “I’m going to ask you one more time, omega…”

 

Alec could barely hear what the beta was asking him, he moved in and out of consciousness as the pain took over. He could smell the blood dripping out of him and onto the floor. He knew nobody would come to his aide, he had been near death many times before without anyone coming to his rescue. His only hope now was that it’d be over quickly.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

 

Magnus had been tossing and turning in bed for what seemed like hours, it had been quite the week for him and his pack. He tried his best to clear his mind but he simply couldn’t stop thinking about Alec.

 

He knew the omega was lost in his own mind. The boy had no doubt made a cage of his own around his feelings and memories as a tool for survival. Magnus knew he wanted to be a part of bringing those parts of Alec back to the surface.

 

He slid out of bed groaning and headed towards the bathroom to relieve himself, as soon as he was standing, he recognized a familiar smell filling up his nostrils. It was the smell of blood.

 

His body temperature began to rise within the second, his eyes changed over to that familiar red that made all of his senses go into overload. The smell was coming from inside the house.

 

He ran out into the hall to investigate the scent. His worry grew when he realized it was coming from the room he had chosen for Alec. He busted through the door with all his strength, pulling it clean off its hinges.

 

All he saw was red when he finally came upon the scene in front of him, Rufus’s hand was knuckle deep in Alec’s abdomen.

 

Magnus lunged forward and grabbed the beta as tightly as he could, his claws pierced the man’s skin easily. The wolf cried out in pain loudly and turned towards Magnus. The look in his eyes was filled with fear and violence all at the same time.

 

Once the claws were removed from Alec, Magnus watched helplessly as his lifeless body slumped down the wall and onto the floor, he was definitely unconscious.

 

He wanted to run to the omega as quickly as he could but Magnus could tell Rufus wasn’t going to let him by without a fight. If the beta was stupid enough to challenge him, then Magnus would happily take him out.

 

Magnus swung his claws and immediately drew blood from his opponent, he grabbed a hold of the man and smashed him into the wall behind him, leaving a large dent. He knew that if he made enough noise that the rest of the pack would awaken.

 

Rufus was fighting as hard as he could but he was no match for Magnus’s strength, his blows seemed more like an annoying itch than anything else. He knew he needed to end this as fast as he could so that he could tend to Alec.

 

He caught a hold of the beta’s arm, he placed both of his hands around the arm and applied as much force as he could, after only a second he heard what he was hoping… SNAP… and with it a loud howl from the wolf.

 

That was all it took for the other betas in the house to barge in through the door. Jace and Raphael grabbed a hold of Rufus on either side of his arms pinning him in place. Izzy and Max ran straight for their brother who was to Magnus’s relief starting to wake up a little bit.

 

“Take him downstairs and hold him there,” Magnus instructed to Jace and Raphael. They hoisted the beta up and out of the room immediately.

 

Magnus took out his phone from the pocket of his sweat pants and called Catarina to come over as soon as she could. Izzy had grabbed towels from the bathroom to cover Alec’s naked form and to apply pressure to his wound.

 

“Your gonna be okay Alec, I promise. Just try and stay still,” Max said softly as he propped his brother’s legs up on his lap.

 

Magnus took his place next to Alec and waited for help to arrive, “Can you tell me why this happened?”

 

Alec’s eyes tried to focus, “I’m… sorry, Alpha. The beta wanted me to keep something from you…but…please, I swear I never would... that’s why he attacked me.”

 

Anger began to bubble up in him quickly, “And what was this secret?”

 

Magnus knew he shouldn’t be pushing Alec like this, not with his injuries but he needed to get to the truth.

 

The omega tried his best to answer, “He…he was the highest ranked beta in our old pack.”

 

Magnus let out a long sigh, Rufus had been fooling him from the start. Being second in command, he knew the beta had a hand in running the feral pack and the horrific conditions in which the lower pack members faced.

 

“Magnus, help me. We should try and get him to the bed,” Izzy asked as she watched her brother go in and out of consciousness.  

 

As gently as he could he scooped Alec up into his arms. The weight beneath them was much to light for a wolf as tall as Alec’s. He tried his best to keep his movements steady as he made his way towards the bed.

 

Magnus’s eyes widened in shock when he noticed that the bed was just as perfectly made as he had left it. The sheets neatly tucked under the mattress as he preferred, the bed had been untouched.

 

“I don’t understand,” Magnus muttered to Izzy and Max. “What has he been doing in here the past few hours? I thought I had instructed him clearly enough to get some rest.”

 

Izzy turned to scan the room, there was an area of white fur on the hardwood that caught her attention. “I think he laid down there, Alpha,” Izzy suggested as she pointed out the spot to him.

 

Magnus couldn’t understand why Alec would want to sleep on the floor instead of a comfy, warm bed. Had he really lived in his wolf form for so long that he has forgotten about life’s simple pleasures.

 

But then it dawned on him, he remembered the scene back where he first found him. The messy, bloody bed in the alpha’s chambers, no wonder Alec didn’t want anything to do with the bed.

 

It sickened Magnus to imagine everything that Alec has been through, he tried his best to push it from his mind and remain focused.

 

He placed Alec carefully onto the bed. He sighed in relief when Catarina and Maia came racing in around him to treat his injuries.

 

They immediately got to work, Magnus backed up to give them their space and to take a second to catch his breath.

 

“Do you two need me here for anything?” Magnus asked.

 

“No, alpha. We’ll be fine,” Catarina replied even though she was distracted with whatever she was doing.

 

“Good… I need to go deal with that piece of shit downstairs,” he snarled.

 

Izzy turned and wiped the tears from her eyes, “I’m coming with you, Magnus. He could have killed him!” she shouted.

 

Magnus just nodded his head in return, he knew there was nothing he could do to change her mind. He would be there to keep her safe if her emotions did anything to impede her safety.

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

Alec tried his best to keep his mind working, he could hear voices above him but was having trouble placing what they were saying.

 

“Maia, I need you to clean the wound with the alcohol there,” Catarina gestured to a bottle from her bag as she prepared some type of medication.

 

Alec groaned in pain as the alcohol made contact with the wound. “I’m so sorry, Alec. We’ll try and be as gentle as we can,” the voice said softly.

 

As soon as the burning, stinging pain began to dissipate in his abdomen, another took its place. There was a loud snapping sound followed by a sharp tugging pain, it was almost rhythmic and it wasn’t stopping.

 

His mind was trying to make sense of what was happening. He remembered his alpha coming in and fighting with Rufus. He had seemed angry when he asked Alec about what had happened but he didn’t lash out to punish him. Instead, Alec remembers the feeling of being picked up in his strong arms and placed on the bed softly.

 

Maybe this alpha didn’t like having to give out his own punishments, maybe this is why the two wolves above him were hurting him.

 

“Please…please stop. I promise I’ve learned my lesson,” he pleaded as best he could. His voice was still strained from when Rufus held his throat.

 

The actions on his abdomen immediately stopped. He was hoping this meant he could reason with them, “Yes… please… I swear I won’t do it again. I didn’t even know the alpha didn’t know who Rufus was… I swear I didn’t know.”

 

He felt a warm hand on his cheek, he flinched even though it didn’t feel threatening. “Alec? Can you open your eyes for me, dear?” one of the voices asked calmly.

 

It took him a couple blinks to adjust to the light in the room. Above him stood the female beta who had tended to his injuries earlier and the female omega. The look in their eyes wasn’t what Alec had expected, it was softer than he thought it should be and full of worry.

 

“You aren’t being punished Alec, you’ve done nothing wrong sweetheart. Our metabolisms are sometimes too fast to feel the effects of pain medicine, I am sorry that you have been feeling pain as we tended to the wound. I’m Catarina, and this is Maia, I promise we are only here to help you.”

 

Maia shifted closer and took Alec’s hand in her own. He wasn’t used to such kind gestures, and his mind was trying to convince itself that they were playing a joke on him.

 

“You’re going to be okay, Alec. She only has a few more staples to go,” Maia said kindly.

 

Alec was trying his best not to freak out when the beta came towards his abdomen again. His eyes were darting back and forth as he looked for a way out of this situation.

 

But before he was in a full-on panic, a familiar scent entered his nose, that of his younger brothers.

 

He watched Max climb around and get onto the bed next to him. He grabbed a hold of Alec’s other hand. “Just look at me, brother. It’ll be over soon.”

 

Alec nodded and squeezed the hands in his a little tighter. He tried not to look as Catarina took his skin between her fingers and pressed some strange looking device to it.

 

She grasped it tightly causing a small silver bar to come out of it and into Alec’s skin pushing it together. He tried his best to stay still as she continued down the line of the wound until she was finished.

 

He opened his eyes back up when he felt something soft being applied to the wound. “You are my bravest patient, Alec. I’m just applying the bandage and then I’ll leave you to rest for a while,” Catarina explained.

 

Max shifted as if he was trying to get more comfortable, “I’m gonna hang a while in here I think.”

 

Maia nodded and moved to grab a chair from the corner of the room, “Me too.”

 

Catarina smiled, “Well, Alec. I leave you in good hands. I’m going to head downstairs make sure everyone is keeping their heads on straight,” she announced as she made her way out the door.

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

Izzy’s blood was boiling in anger, it took all of her strength to control herself so that she could be there for her brother. All she could think about was tearing into that beta’s flesh with everything she had.

 

Raph and Jace had taken Rufus outside, he was still being restrained by the two of them as he knelt in the center of the patio.

 

She raced forward and swept her claws across his face as hard as she could. “How dare you! You manipulated your way into our house and then attack your own pack members.”

 

Blood ran from the beta’s mouth, “He’s nothing but an omega. What does it matter to you how he is treated,” he growled back at her.

 

Izzy could never understand his way of thinking. She knew it was likely all he knew, but it was hard to have sympathy for someone who was so dangerous towards others.

 

Magnus moved forward half-transformed, his eyes were glowing red, his fangs were shining sharply in the moon’s glow. “Rufus, you have inflicted violence in my household against one of our pack mates.”

 

He moved forward and grabbed a hold on him by his shirt. Jace and Raphael moved to the side to give their alpha space. “You have tormented that boy for the last time.”

 

Rufus huffed in response, “Tormented? My true alpha and I perfected him. He was a defiant little shit when he first came to us, we made him into the omega he is today,” he boasted.

 

Izzy couldn’t believe what she was hearing, the beta was actually bragging about how they had treated Alec. “Magnus, let me do it. Please, for Alec,” she asked.

 

Magnus nodded and let go of Rufus as he stepped to the side, “If you are sure, Isabelle.”

 

“Oh I’m sure,” she replied as she launched herself forward towards Rufus. She thought it would be fitting if her claws made contact with his abdomen first. She twisted until she felt blood on her hands.

 

Rufus growled in response and swung his fist as hard as he could into her face. It was a hard hit as she fell back onto the cold ground. It took her a second to regain her balance before she swung her legs around and knocked him off of his feet.

 

Her anger driving her strength, she pinned him to the ground and began punching him with all her force over and over again.

 

She could feel herself losing full-on control until she heard her alpha’s voice in the background.

 

“Isabelle, we don’t draw things out. Remember who you are and get it done,” Magnus instructed.

 

She knew he was right. It wasn’t about inflicting the same amount of pain on Rufus as he had on Alec, it was about eliminating a threat to her brother and family.

 

She let her anger take control for only a moment longer before she reached down to finish the job. The snapping sound his neck made when she broke it was louder than she thought it’d be.

 

Her emotions immediately began to overcome her as she moved off of the limp body underneath her. Tears streamed steadily down her face, it was as if she was finally letting all the feelings of the last week into her body for the first time.

 

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay, Iz,” Jace said as he came up behind her to help her stand. He pulled her in tight to his side.

 

Magnus gestured for them to head on into the house, “Raph and I will deal with the body, you two go in and rest.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Morning everyone,” Magnus announced when he entered the kitchen, he was surprised to see it filled with many of his pack members and about every breakfast food you could imagine. “What’s all this?”

 

“It was Raph’s idea,” Isabelle said as she whisked some eggs in a bowl.

 

Raphael shrugged, “Just figured we could all use a good morning.”

 

Magnus smiled, “Amazing idea, my friend. I’m sure we could all use a bit of normalcy.”

 

He moved to grab the bread and began placing the slices in the toaster. He was definitely not much a cook but he would still try and help out as much as he could.

 

Max barged into the kitchen yawning loudly. “Morning,” he mumbled.

 

Magnus chuckled, “You are usually the first one up, Max.”

 

He nodded and took a seat at the table, “I was up all night with Alec. He…um… he was actually talking more and asking questions. It helped a lot… I think I understand where he is coming from more.”

 

This certainly peaked Magnus’s interest. Alec always seems so afraid in his presence as if he were walking on eggshells waiting for something to happen.

 

“Like what, Max?” Izzy asked. Magnus and she had spoken yesterday and she too was feeling frustrated with how Alec acted around them.

 

Max took a moment to sip on his coffee before answering. “Well… I think he was more talkative because it was me and Maia. He kept calling everyone else a higher beta or the alpha. I think because I am younger and Maia is also an omega, I think we are less threatening to him.”

 

Maia nodded in agreement as she flipped the pancakes on the griddle. “Yea, I mean we kept telling him that we were all a family and that no one was going to hurt him but he just didn’t seem to believe us. He kept saying that the alpha and the higher betas had to be obeyed no matter what and he even warned us to behave better so that we wouldn’t be hurt.”

 

Magnus hated that such a concept seemed to be ingrained into Alec’s mind. But he was glad that they were getting a better understanding of his perspective of things.

 

“I know it is all hard for us to hear about such things, but I do think it’s important to understand more about how Alec views things so that we may better help him through it all,” Magnus explained.

 

He turned to address Max and Maia, “I want you two to continue forming this bond with him.”

 

“Yes, alpha,” they said together. “I’m gonna go up and see if he’s up to eat with us,” Max added.

 

It took Max a good 15 minutes to come back down. He entered the kitchen alone which made Magnus think Alec wasn’t up to leaving his room yet. He was about to ask Isabelle to take some food up to Alec when Max spoke.

 

“He’s on his way down. He didn’t believe me when I said we all eat together as a group. He was even more confused when I told him everyone gets three meals a day and that he could have as much food as he wanted,” Max explained.

 

Magnus was startled as Izzy broke down in tears again. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take. The way he was treated… and starved… it’s just too much.”

 

He went to stand so that he may comfort his beta but paused when he saw Raphael race over to her first. He embraced her tightly and rubbed soothing circles to her back.

 

Raphael was always so private about his relationship with Izzy and the human boy, Simon that Magnus honestly sometimes forgot that they were together. He sat back down at the table with a warm feeling in his heart knowing that his betas had someone to love them.

 

He was startled from his thoughts when the kitchen door swung open.

 

Alec stood at the door as if he wasn’t sure what to do next. “Please sit, Alec,” Magnus suggested, knowing he would likely need a command to move forward.

 

He looked up at Magnus’s words as if they were unbelievable. He took a moment to look at Maia who nodded encouragingly at him before he took the seat next to her.

 

Magnus thought it best to introduce everyone. “Alec I want you to meet the rest of the pack. This here is Ragnor, he is Catarina’s mate. And this is Raphael and Camille.”

 

Magnus scanned the room, “And, I believe you know everyone else… Shall we eat?” he asked as he gestured for everyone to join around the table.

 

He was about to start eating when Jace cleared his throat. “Um, Magnus… Alec doesn’t know who I am.”

 

Magnus had unknowingly made an already complicated situation more complicated. He had always thought of Jace, Max and Izzy as a packaged deal so he honestly just didn’t even realize it when he said it.

 

“Oh my… Jace… I’m sorry, I swear I didn’t mean to do that,” Magnus tried to explain.

 

Jace shook his head with a weak smile, “No, I know that. I…um… I’m a…” Jace failed to try and explain to Alec who he was.

 

“Max explained to me already… I mean about who you are, Jace,” Alec interjected softly with his eyes down.

 

“Oh…um… well, that’s good, then,” Jace replied awkwardly.

 

Magnus was glad to see that Alec was talking a bit more. He caught him looking up, almost as if he was gaging Jace’s expression to see if his reply had made it any less awkward.

 

Things were quiet for a few seconds as everyone just sort of looked around unsure of how to proceed. “Why don’t we eat so that all this amazing food doesn’t get cold?” Magnus suggested.

 

“Good idea, Alpha,” Catarina responded as she moved to pass around the bowl with the eggs in it.

 

His betas had really outdone themselves today, there was every type of breakfast food you could want. Magnus was hoping that Alec would find something that he liked.

 

As they passed around the plates of food, Magnus frowned when he realized that Alec was passing it without having taken any food for himself and giving it straight to Ragnor sitting to his left.

 

Ragnor had also noticed, “Alec, don’t you want some of this before you hand it over to me?”

 

This seemed to alert everyone around the table to Alec’s empty plate.

 

“Remember, Alec. We talked about this. We all eat together here,” Max explained encouragingly.

 

Alec shakily took it back and scooped a small amount of eggs on his plate, “I… I was just waiting until everyone was done… you know just in case there wasn’t enough.”

 

“That’s very kind of you, Alec. But I promise there will be enough for everyone, so please take as much as you like,” Magnus responded.

 

“Yes, alpha,” Alec said quickly as he grabbed another dish to put on his plate.

 

Magnus couldn’t help but notice the way in which Alec was eating. He looked around the table and realized that everyone else was staring his way as well.

 

The omega was shoving food into his mouth as quickly as he could, his left arm was laying protectively over his plate as if someone was going to take it from him.  And Magnus was sure at some point he heard the crinkling noise of Alec shoving toast into the pocket of his sweatpants.

 

He could tell his betas were just as disturbed by Alec’s behavior about food as he was, but luckily nobody said anything that would make him uncomfortable. He knew that it would take time and patience for things to get better.

 

His ears picked up on the familiar ding of a cell phone, “You know I don’t like phones at the dining table, Isabelle,” he inquired.

 

“I’m sorry, alpha,” Izzy said with an apologetic smile. “I’ll turn it off,” she added.

 

But her face changed in an instant after reading the message. “It’s from them Magnus, they said they can be here tomorrow afternoon.”

 

Magnus just nodded in return and kept on eating. He knew exactly who Isabelle was talking about, he was looking forward to getting down to the truth of how Alec had come to be in such an evil place.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

Magnus sat in the large chair in the corner of the living room silently awaiting the arrival of Robert and Maryse Lightwood. He hadn’t slept much the night before as he contemplated the best way of going about this meeting.

 

He knew he needed to keep his emotions in check, it wouldn’t be good for anyone to have two alphas brawling throughout the house. He had also come to the conclusion that it was best to keep Alec away from it all. The boy had been making some progress in the last few days and Magnus didn’t want anything screwing that up.

 

The pack had spent the whole day together yesterday just lounging around the house. Magnus smiled when he thought back to the omega sitting wearily on the couch next to Maia as they watched movies.

 

He would lean over and speak to her at his leisure, it was often in a whisper but Magnus’s hearing would always grant him the ability to know the content of their conversations.

 

Alec was curious. He was curious and apprehensive. He seemed to be trying very hard to figure out what was expected of him in the pack and what the rules were. And although he still wouldn’t speak openly to anyone else, Magnus was just glad that he felt comfortable talking with someone.

 

Izzy was standing in front of Magnus pacing back and forth, her stressed scent filling his nostrils. He watched as her hands fumbled with her phone when a text came through. “They’ll be here in 15 minutes,” she exclaimed.

 

He nodded, “Okay, let’s get ready,” he said.

 

“Alec? Can you come in here, please?” he announced, knowing he would be able to hear him from his place in the kitchen helping the others with preparing dinner.

 

The omega appeared within a few seconds as he rushed to stand in front of the chair he was sitting in. His heart was beating loudly in his chest and his eyes remained down by Magnus’s feet.

 

Magnus hated making Alec more uncomfortable, he was always nervous when he would try and engage him directly. He was extremely hesitant as if he was waiting for Magnus’s demeanor to shift.

 

Magnus shifted uncomfortably, “Take a seat, Alec.”

 

“Yes, alpha,” Alec muttered before kneeling down directly where he had stood in front of Magnus.

 

Magnus had of course, meant for him to take a seat on the couch or one of the other chairs but he didn’t want to make Alec feel like he had done anything wrong by kneeling, so he didn’t say anything to correct the matter.

 

He cleared his throat, “I need you to go upstairs and stay in your room for a while,” he started to explain.

 

He could immediately sense the shift in Alec’s emotions as he began to panic at his instructions. “Now… I promise you aren’t in any trouble… It’s just that I have a meeting with someone happening down here and I want to make sure to keep you safe,” he tried his best to explain.

 

His explanation seemed to help a little bit as Alec’s heart rate steadied back to his original pace. “Yes, alpha. I understand. I will stay in my room.”

 

Magnus smiled and reached down to grasp one of Alec’s hands to help him stand. “Thank you, dear,” Magnus replied softly. “Oh, and what did we discuss yesterday?” he added.

 

Alec’s eyes flickered towards his for a quick second. He opened his mouth before quickly shutting it as if he was afraid to get the answer wrong.

 

“I’m just trying to remind you about how we talked about you addressing me,” Magnus prompted.

 

“Oh…um… that I… I can use your first name,” Alec replied as softly as he could.

 

Magnus smiled, “Yes, Alec. That is right… Now head on upstairs for me. I’ll send someone up as soon as this is over,” he nodded encouragingly towards the stairs.

 

“Yes, alpha Magnus,” Alec responded before hurrying towards the stairway.

 

Magnus couldn’t help but grumble at Alec’s response. He wanted to correct the boy but decided against it due to the timing, instead he sat back down with a long sigh.

 

Isabelle had thankfully also settled down on the couch, “I don’t get why that bothers you so much. I just mean like out of all his awful learned behaviors that one seems to get to you the most,” she contemplated.

 

“Being your alpha, Isabelle is something that means a great deal to me. Each and every one of you is my family and when you or Cat or Raph or anyone calls me Alpha, it is an honor for me to hear. It is used in a manner of respect, not fear. When Alec uses the term it means something completely different. It implies ownership, something that I vow to never be associated with.”

 

Magnus paused for a moment, hoping he was explaining this well enough, “I want Alec to feel comfortable calling me Magnus just like the rest of you do without fear of punishment. And someday… someday I hope that when he says Alpha that he actually means it like the rest of you do.”

 

He looked up to see that Isabelle had tears in her eyes. She smiled softly as she wiped her eyes clean, “He will, alpha. I know he will,” she said confidently.

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

Isabelle had been waiting for this moment since Alec had gotten here. She wanted answers, she wanted to know the truth. Her mind honestly couldn’t believe how wrong she had been about her parents.

 

They had both played the heart-broken parents when they had made the tough decision to send them along to Magnus once her father was sure that their pack would not produce an heir.

 

How could they be so loving towards them and then so hateful towards her brother? Alec always tried to be the best son he could be for them, he took care of Izzy and Max as if they were his own.

 

Looking back now, she knew that Alec was destined to be an omega. He was loyal, kind, and had more love to give than anyone else. She couldn’t believe how that had then thrown it back in his face.

 

The love she felt for her parents was a lie, they had manipulated her and she wasn’t going to let them get away with such cruelty.

 

The longer she waited for their arrival the more anger she had building up inside her. She sighed in relief when she heard the front doorbell finally sound.

 

Her parents were escorted to the living room where the pack was waiting. Magnus had instructed everyone to stay calm so that they may gain the truth without anyone getting hurt so she did her best to remain seated.

 

The pair could immediately sense that something was wrong, “You don’t stand to greet us?” Robert asked as his eyes moved from Isabelle to Jace and to Max. “Come now, I know this has been a hard transition. I promise the only reason we asked to stay away for so long was so that you would all adjust to Magnus as your alpha better.”

 

Magnus cleared his throat to gain their attention, “Oh, they have been adjusting quite well, thank you. The reason for your visit is another matter entirely, I’m afraid.”

 

Isabelle watched as her father slightly changed his position to move her mother behind him. She knew he could feel danger in the room. “We brought you here to talk about Alec,” she explained bluntly, she didn’t want any more delay.

 

“Alec?” Maryse muttered hesitantly, “Isabelle, sweetheart. Your brother is dea…”

 

“Don’t lie, Mom. Please,” Max replied quickly. He was obviously just as sick and tired of their lies as Isabelle was.

 

She could feel herself starting to lose control. Luckily, before it could happen all the way, Raph scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her tightly as if he knew it was happening. “We want to know the truth about Alec?” Raphael explained.  

 

“Why all of these questions now? Hmm?” Robert asked as he tried to mask his nerves.

 

“Well Robert, last week when we battled an enemy pack we were shocked to find an omega in their company. Even more, shocked when your family here realized that he was their brother whom you had told them was dead,” Magnus explained. He tried to stay calm but his voice was getting shakier.

 

“You know they couldn’t even tell who he was right away. His scent was so permeated with pain and fear that he couldn’t even be identified!” he shouted.

 

Isabelle was shocked to see her mother crying. Even if this had all been her father’s idea she couldn’t be completely innocent in all of this. She still let him give away their brother like it was nothing.

 

Her mother’s tears had provoked her own, “How could you? How could you do this to him?” Izzy asked as she tried to steady her breath.

 

Roberts' eyes began to flicker red as his control wavered, “Is he here? Do you have him? I can hear another’s heartbeat from upstairs. I demand to see him,” he shouted at the group.

 

“Why in the hell would we let you see him after what you did,” Jace shouted.

 

“You have no idea what you are talking about, pup!” Robert shouted at Jace before turning to Isabelle.

 

Isabelle’s patience was wearing thin with her father. The anger inside her was winning against her control, she couldn’t sit here any longer and listen to his justifications for abandoning her brother.

 

She could feel her canines coming into place as she sat quietly. Her wolf was banging on the door to be released. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hang on for.

 

“Isabelle, listen to me. Your brother presented as an omega and…” It was all her father had time to get out before she had lounged across the room at him.  

 

Her hands were swiping across his chest as hard as she could, leaving a trail of blood in their place. In her frenzy, she couldn’t even tell that her father wasn’t even defending himself. As her arm came down once more she heard a voice that she didn’t expect telling her to stop.

 

“Isabelle, No! Stop it now,” Alec shouted forcefully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alec had been sitting on the edge of the bed since his alpha had instructed him to go to his room. The alpha hadn’t asked much of him since being here so he was happy to be able to obey him if not just with this small command.

 

It had only been about 20 minutes before Alec begun to hear shouting from downstairs. His hearing wasn’t as good as an alpha’s but if he concentrated hard enough he could make out what they were saying.

 

His heart jumped when he heard his father’s voice. Alec didn’t think he would ever get to see his family again. He was overwhelmed at the thought of being in a pack with his siblings, he couldn’t imagine being reunited with his parents as well.

 

He moved to lean against the door, shocked when he realized that they were all talking about him. He hated how upset everyone sounded, Alec never meant to make anyone this upset over him.

 

He could sense how angry they all were with his parents. Alec tried his hardest to understand why his parents might be in trouble with his new alpha but he couldn’t come up with anything.

 

If only Alec could go down to see what was happening, maybe there was something he could do to fix it. But his alpha had told him to stay put. Since being in this new pack, he often found himself needing reminding that pack came first, not family.

 

“I won’t disobey, I won’t disobey, I won’t disobey,” he muttered softly as a mantra.

 

It had been working, he had moved to sit back down and wait for someone to come to get him. But then he heard it. He heard his sister’s growl and a struggle happening downstairs. He could hear flesh tearing and it was as if he couldn’t help himself anymore.

 

His instinct to protect his family overcame him. It was as if a switch had finally gone off in his head. His sister was in trouble and he would do anything he could to help her.

 

He ran down the stairs as quickly as he could. And he was surprised at what he saw, it wasn’t his sister who needed help but his father whom she was attacking.

 

Alec shouted at her to stop, he wasn’t sure why this was all happening but he was going to do what he needed to stop it. All of the faces in the room immediately turned to his with shocked expressions on their faces.

 

And Isabelle had moved off their father at once. Her chest was heaving up and down in fatigue as she tried to gain her control back.

 

Magnus moved hesitantly towards him, “Alec, go back upstairs. You don’t need to see this.”

 

But there was no way in hell that he was going to go back upstairs right now. His sister was attacking his father and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

 

Ragnor cleared his throat from his spot in the corner, “Magnus… look at him… he’s different. His whole body language is different. He came down here on his own free will.”

 

Alec looked to Izzy who was shaking as she tried to wipe the blood from her hands. She was crying but smiling at the same time, “Yea, Alec… you… you yelled at me.”

 

It all happened so quick that Alec hadn’t even realized it himself. He had felt when something had snapped, it was all that had allowed him to finally open to the door and go downstairs to see what was going on.

 

He had been living trapped in his own body for so long that Alec hadn’t even realized how far he had actually been from himself.

 

He moved to his father’s side to inspect his injuries. He knew that his injuries would likely heal easily but this wasn’t the reunion he had imagined so he wanted to make sure he would be okay. “Cat…um… can you come take a look at him, please?”

 

He looked towards her to see that she too had tears in her eyes, “Of course I will, Alec,” she chuckled. “It’s good to have you back,” she added.

 

He cleared his throat nervously, “Um… yea thanks. It feels good to be back. I’m not even exactly sure how it happened.”

 

“That’s okay. We’re just glad it did. I missed you so much,” Max said as he moved forward to give Alec a big hug. It felt incredible to have his little brother back in his arms safe and sound.

 

His eyes caught sight of his mother in the corner and he couldn’t contain himself. “Mom!” he shouted as he ran towards her to give her a big hug.

 

“Oh, my boy. I missed you so much,” she blubbered as she buried her face deep into his chest.

 

Alec didn’t want to let her go. He didn’t know how long they had stayed wrapped in each other’s arms before someone behind them interrupted them.

 

“Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on!” Izzy shouted from her place on the floor next to her father who was finally beginning to gain strength again.

 

Robert growled lowly before he began to push up on his elbows to sit up. “Damn it, Isabelle! What is happening is that you once again let your hot-headedness get to you. I swear sometimes that you are the alpha we were supposed to have. You certainly act like it!”

 

Alec could tell his father was frustrated with Isabelle but nothing worse. “What I was going to say before you attacked me… was that your brother had presented as an omega and his instincts to protect us all were just too strong to be stopped.”

 

His words had instantly brought Alec back to the memories of when he had gone with the feral pack. He remembered as clear as day how finite his decision was in order to protect his family.

 

He knew he would have to retell the story for everyone so that they may understand what transpired all those years ago.

 

“Oh, Alec. What did you do?” Izzy asked.

 

He clenched his eyes closed as more memories flooded in, “I had to, Iz. They would have killed us all.”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post the flashback soon :)


	7. Chapter 7

 

**Chapter 7:**

**Flashback:**

 

The heat of the sun was beating on Alec’s face as he sat on the porch. He was eagerly awaiting the return of his siblings to come home from visiting their cousin’s for the last week. The three of them had never been separated before, and he didn’t think it’d be this hard without them.

 

“Sweetheart,” Maryse called with a chuckle. “They won’t be here for another two days.”

 

“I know… I just… I thought that maybe they’d come back early,” he mumbled.

 

Maryse kneeled down beside him, “Hey… why don’t you come inside and help me with dinner? Maybe we can make something special for dessert.”

 

He looked up at his mother and smiled as he stood to follow her inside.

 

Alec missed his siblings so much. Things felt different now, the need to be with his whole family was stronger than it ever was. All he wanted to do was keep them safe and for them to be as happy as they could be in life.

 

Things had changed for Alec for the rest of his life when a few days prior he presented with his second gender.

 

His parents had sent Izzy and Max to stay with relatives during the week of Alec’s thirteenth Birthday, just in case he had a difficult transition. Everyone including Alec, was sure that he was going to present as an alpha.

 

His father said that when he turned, his emotions were so out of control that he had struck out at one of his brothers and injured him. And he never wanted Alec to feel that kind of guilt.

 

So to be safe they had sent his siblings away. The only problem was that on the morning of his thirteenth birthday he awoke to the sweet scent that came from being an omega.

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

Alec was so panicked that he bolted up and out of his bed and towards the door of the house as quick as he could. He couldn’t even imagine facing his father right now and seeing how disappointed he would be.

 

Alec shifted and began running as fast as he could through the woods. He ran further than he had ever gone before. He had only stopped by a stream for a drink for a moment when he first noticed something in the distance. Someone was watching him.

 

He had never really met any other werewolves before besides his family. He knew from his teachings that not all were friendly. He didn’t want to risk them coming any closer to him so he took off as quickly as he could and headed back towards his house.

 

It didn’t sound like he was being followed, but just in case he sprinted the whole way back. His stride only let up once he heard his mother calling his name in the distance.

 

“Alec… you had us worried. Sweetheart, why did you run off?” she called to him as he came into her field of view.

 

He knew quickly that his mother wouldn’t even need an answer for her to notice.

 

“Oh… oh my, Alec. You’re an omega.”

 

He whined and dropped his head in shame just as his father came out of the house at the same time. He wasn’t even going to bother lifting his head to face his father when he felt his mother’s hand on his chin doing it for him.

 

“Now you stop that right now, Alexander. You should be proud of being an omega. I know I’m proud of you,” she said as she petted his fur gently.

 

His father hurried forward and cleared his voice, “I’m so sorry son, I’m sorry if I made it seem like there was only one option here. I…um… I’ll admit I am shocked but I am none the less happy for you Alec. Happy that you are growing into who you are meant to be.”

 

“I don’t think I even have any omega relatives in my family. I think this is nothing short of a miracle,” Robert added.

 

Maryse wiped the tears in her eyes, “My uncle was an omega. He mated with a great alpha. I don’t believe you ever met him though,” she gestured to Robert. “He passed away birthing multiple pups when he was young.”

 

“You never told me that before,” Robert said as he leaned in to give his wife a kiss on the cheek.

 

“Well, it was a long time ago. It just never really came up.”

 

Alec pushed forward so that he was wedged in between his parents. They embraced him from either side. He felt such warmth, he now felt stupid for ever thinking that his parents would have reacted differently.

 

“Whoa, would you get a whiff of that,” his mother teased cheerfully.

 

If he wasn’t in wolf form right now his cheeks would have been bright red.

 

 

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

 

 

Alec and his mother had made a feast for dinner. He knew she was no doubt trying to keep his mind occupied in the last few days before his family would all be together again.

 

“Robert, dinner is ready,” Maryse shouted from the kitchen to her husband outside working in the yard.

 

Alec reached up to grab the plates from the top shelf so he could set the table. As he made his way around the table, he paused as his eyes picked up on a chilling sound outside his home. The sound of an unfamiliar werewolf.

 

He could sense his mother’s reaction and knew she had picked up on the same thing. As he went to the window to take a look his mother quickly grabbed his arm and pushed him towards the floor.

 

“No! Stay here,” she shouted. “I need you to go to the basement and stay there until I come and get you. Go now, Alec,” his mother instructed.

 

“What? No Mom, I want to stay with you,” Alec pleaded.

 

She smiled and placed a hand on his cheek, “Please do this for me.”

 

He could tell how serious she was about, so no matter how much he didn’t want to, he moved lowly on the floor towards the basement steps. His curiosity still got the best of him as he moved towards the small window that would allow him to hear what was happening.

 

“You’re in our territory,” Robert snarled. “You should leave now! I don’t know what made you come here but there is nothing here for you.”

 

Alec’s heart began to beat heavier as he took in the sound of this father’s voice. His father’s alpha tone was usually so strong it shocked him to hear how wavered it sounded.

 

But then Alec finally heard the voice of the mystery intruder and instantly understand his father’s concern. It sounded so cold that it caused the hairs on his body to stand on edge.

 

“Nothing for me? You must be mistaken,” the alpha voice chuckled.

 

“Just two days ago, my pack and I were hunting down by the river when out of the blue a young omega wolf comes running into my scent trail. At first, I was convinced it was my nose playing tricks on me until I saw him myself that is.”

 

Robert moved forward baring his canines, “You are mistaken, I have no omega here.”

 

But he was quickly interrupted by the other alpha, “There is no use in lying to me. I believe the wolf also sensed my presence as he ran off quickly, running right back to this very house.”

 

Alec began to panic. Had he really caused this situation from running away the other day. He knew he had sensed something down by the river, he was stupid to think to go straight back to his home.

 

“Listen, I am going to make this simple for you. Omegas are rare creatures, something that I would like very much in my pack. I propose you give him to me and I will leave the rest of you alone,” the alpha proposed.

 

Alec could hear his mother moving forward, “That will never happen, alpha. You should leave now before this gets violent.”

 

The alpha laughed, “Violent? I live for violence. It is in the very core of our being. If that is what you wish I am happy to oblige you.”

 

“You cannot have my son!” Robert shouted in a panic.

 

Alec felt utterly helpless in the basement as his knees gave out. He slid down the wall and hugged his knees close to his chest. What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t let his parents or his siblings get hurt for his mistake.

 

“Your son? Hmm, yes that must be tough for you. I too have a son about his age that just presented as my alpha heir,” the alpha explained.

 

“Then how can you be so cruel,” Maryse shouted back.

 

“Look, you are both perfectly capable of producing more pups, I will let you live and you can go on to have more children. But if you give me any trouble then I will slaughter your entire family and just take the boy anyway,” the alpha threatened.

 

Alec’s heart dropped into his stomach. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening to his family right now. He sensed more noise at the tree line as more wolves came into their territory. They growled and snapped their teeth cunningly.

 

Alec closed his eyes tightly and tried his best to focus on the heartbeats, his eyes blinked open widely when he counted fourteen other wolves surrounding them. He didn’t even know that packs that big even existed and now they were in his home threatening his family.

 

“No, no this isn’t happening,” his mother cried out. Which Alec could only take as her bearing witness to the scene of wolves in front of her.

 

The sounds of his mother’s cries made the world stop around him. His breaths stopped heaving from his chest, the soothing rocking motion stopped in his body as his mind became as clear as it ever had been.

 

He would not allow any harm to come to his family.

 

As he made his way out towards the yard, he could hear his father’s bones breaking as he began to shift. “No, Dad! Wait!”

 

His father stopped and ran over to him, “Alec, what are you doing? Get back inside now!”

 

Alec shook his head as the tears began to stream from his eyes. “No, Dad. I’m not hiding. I’m not going to let you die for me. Think about Izzy and Max, what would happen if they got home and you were dead. I won’t let that happen,” he shouted as he finally took in the scene around him.

 

The alpha was tall and smirking at him. The pack was spread around the length of their home as wide as the eye could see, each in their wolf form pacing back and forth as if ready to fight.

 

“That’s a wise choice, omega,” as the alpha addressed him for the first time. “Come now, we need to be on our way.”

 

Alec moved to step forward as he was stopped once again by his father.

 

“I’m not going to let you do this. You are my son, you deserve to be at home with us,” Robert pleaded with him as his voice began to break.

 

Alec looked over towards his mother and back at this father, “I’m sorry, I love you both. But I’m going to let anything happen to you. I have to do this.” He maneuvered himself in such a way that allowed him to free himself from his father’s grasp. He moved forward towards the alpha with as much conviction as he could conjure.  

 

As he did, a few wolves from the flank moved in towards his parents. He immediately lunged to stop them, “No! You promised, you promised you would kill them,” he shouted as he was restrained by the alpha.

 

He fought as hard as he could against the man holding him back. So hard that he didn’t even notice the sharp pains beginning in his body.

 

The alpha’s claws were gripping him so hard that they were embedded in his shoulders, “Because you came willingly, Omega, my wolves will not kill them. But there is no way they will let you go without a fight, I have only given the order to hold them off long enough for us to get away.”

 

Alec continued to struggle against the large wolf as he tried to help his parents who were trying to fight six wolves at a time on their own.

 

The alpha swung his body around so he faced him. “Shift now, Omega. We have a lot of ground to cover today.”

 

Alec sniffled as he tried to focus on what he was going to say, “My name is Alec, and I’m not leaving my parents like this,” he struggled once again.

 

The alpha chuckled as he struck Alec across the face, hard enough that it knocked him off his feet. “You have a lot to learn, Omega. That is if you really think you deserve a name.”

 

Alec could feel himself being dragged across the ground as the sounds of the fight around him began to quiet. He tried to will his body to fight but found it weak from the blow he had suffered to his head.

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

There was not a dry eye in the entire room as Robert and Maryse recounted the day their son was taken away from them.

 

Izzy was sobbing so loudly that Raphael had removed her from the room to try and calm her down. She pleaded against it but ultimately went with him knowing it was probably for the best.

 

“We tried to find you, Alec. We tried for so long, but we never found anything. It was like after that day you had all vanished from the earth,” Maryse explained.

 

“The pack had indeed left us alive but our injuries were so great that we couldn’t even shift safely for about a week after you left,” Robert added.

 

Max stood from Alec’s side and embraced his mother tightly. “I remember… I remember when we got home. I ran up to you so you’d hold me and you winced as if you were in pain.”

 

Alec wasn’t sure about how much more he could listen to. He had assumed that his parents had told them that he had died, but at this point, he really didn’t care to know how it all unfolded. He knew he would have to listen to how heartbroken his siblings were and he knew he wouldn’t be able to stand it.

 

Alec stood from his knees and tried to get his bearings. He hadn’t thought of that moment in a very long time. Even now, after everything he had been through he did not regret his decision. But to hear it all again was very overwhelming.

 

He flinched when he felt hands upon him, “I’m so sorry, Alec. I didn’t mean to startle you,” Magnus explained. “You… you just looked like you were very far away.”

 

Alec cleared his throat and moved to address the room, “I’m okay… I’m uh… it’s just hard going back to that day. I’m going to go check on Izzy,” he explained as he rushed from the room and into the kitchen.

 

Magnus took a deep breath and sat back down on the couch. This meeting had gone nothing like he had expected. He couldn’t believe the will of such a young omega. Alec was brave enough to give up his entire life in order family to save them.

 

Magnus knew he should probably say something to the pack but he was honestly still stunned into silence. Luckily, as usual his friend was right there to step in.

 

“Robert, Maryse, we all want to thank you for coming here today. I’m sure this situation is going to need some time to settle. Alec has been doing well here. I’m sure it’ll take time until he is completely settled but we are happy to be patient with him. Please now that you are welcomed here anytime to visit your children,” Ragnor said as he gestured for everything to start moving from the room.

 

Magnus watched as Max embraced his parents a moment longer before walking with them towards the entrance. All Magnus could think about doing was going to check on Alec so he headed towards the kitchen where he knew Alec was no doubt attempting to console his sobbing sister.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who is still interested in this story! You all motivate me to keep going :)


End file.
